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Category Archives: Newport

The Lincoln County Fair is being held July 11 – 13 and is an affordable family fun venue with lots of activities. Only $5 per person for everyone over the age of 6. There will be barrel racing, pony rides for kids, an animal fair with 4H domestic and creative exhibits. A few of the special concerts and main arena events will include on July 11th at 7:30 PM Curtis Salgado a Northwest blues singer and harmonica player, July 12th at 7:30PM Firefall a 1980’s rock n roll band also on July 12th Liv Fast will be doing Motorcycle Jumping at the Outdoor Arena.

The communities along the Oregon coast now how to celebrate Independence day. There are many different options to choose from if you are looking for a good time this upcoming 4th of July weekend. There will be lots of family friendly events and a few places for adults to party as well.
The following cities will be holding firework shows on either the 3rd or 4th.

Rockaway Beach – July 4
Rockaway Beach is home to a full weekend of fun. The firework show begins at dusk and is hosted by the local fire department near the Wayside. Get a spot on the beach and enjoy the show. During the day the morning is the local parade. The Lions Club will be putting on their Fun Day at the Beach with activities for kids and it will be the 8th annual Firecracker Weiner Nationals dachshund races at the local park.

Manzanita – July 4
The Manzanita parade starts at 1PM. The city sanctioned fireworks display is planned to start at 10PM on the beach at Manzanita, the show is expected to last about 20 minutes.

Cannon Beach – July 4
Cannon Beach will have a firedancer show on the beach and several other Puffin friendly activities to be careful not to harm to the birds that reside in the area during the summer. There is a concert from 7 – 9 PM at the City Park and several other planned events. http://www.cannonbeach.org/events

Tillamook – July 4
The Blue Heron is the place to be if you are in the Tillamook area and looking for a more adult friendly environment. Live music and wine tasting.Blue Heron on Facebook

Seaside – July 4
The Seaside chamber of commerce puts on a great family fun focused Fourth of July celebration.
11AM – Parade starts at The Seaside Museum
12PM – 4PM Seaside Museum Old Fashioned Social
1:30PM – Drum & Bugle Corps. Show at Broadway Field
Late Afternoon – Stunt Kite Show
10PM – Seaside July 4th Fireworks Display on the Beach

Lincoln City – July 4
There is a ton of activities in Lincoln City this weekend. Here is a brief schedule of events.
8-11AM – Pancake Breakfast at Glenden Beach
9AM – 3PM Craft Fair and Food Court at Glenden Beach
1PM Parade at Glenden Beach
Dusk Fireworks show over Siletz Bay.
More details about Lincoln City 4th of July Celebrations

Yachats July 4
Enjoy the fun and whimsical la de da parade at Noon that is put on by the Yachats Area Chamber of Commerce. The afternoon is the mouth of the river is home to a rubber ducky race in the river and in the evening there will be a public fireworks show.

Florence – July 4
There will be live outdoor music in Old Town and a fireworks display over the Siuslaw river. Local shops and restaurants will be open late to accommodate people out celebrating the holiday.

The albacore tuna fishery of the pacific northwest is a special deal that provides anglers the opportunity to hook into these fast swimming hard fighting fish in good numbers all within the a reasonable distance for the sport fishing boats. The ports up and down the coast from Ilwaco across the boarder in Washington down to Southern Oregon are called home by the tuna fleet. Tuna begin to show up in very limited numbers near the end of June beginning of July and will be caught through the summer into the fall. Albacore can be caught in a variety of ways, most anglers will troll a combination of different lures such as cedar plugs, clones, diving baits like Rapala X-Raps, and swimbaits. After finding the fish on the troll, getting a bait stop going by chumming with anchovies can keep the school of fish close by that it is possible to then catch more fish on live bait, large iron baits similar to spoons, and casting lures like swimbaits. It is possible to get into large numbers of fish and catch many fish from a single stop and it is this lights out fishing that makes fishing for TUNA! so much fun.

There are many excellent tuna fishing charters available for scheduling trips if you are looking for someone to teach you how to fish offshore.

Keep tabs on how the fishing season is progressing by checking on the salty dogs forum. Learn more about catching these fish from anglers that have been fishing the salt for years.

2013 brings a new adjustment to the regulations regarding tuna fishing and how anglers can prepare their catch prior to landing. It is possible to partially cark the tuna in order to reduce some of the fish remains that need to be retained. Anglers with smaller boats with less space for holding fish catches will be able to gain room in their fish holds. If you plan on partially carking fish at sea make sure you read the full details here so you do not get in trouble with breaking the fishing regulations.

The Oregon Tuna Classic will be held this year in two locations: Ilwaco on July 26 and 27 and Garibaldi on August 16 and 17. All of the details about these excellent fishing tournaments can be found on the official website: http://www.oregontunaclassic.org/

Halibut fishing has been one of the most rewarding and productive types of fishing in the North Pacific. Most of the time, it serves as a race and a form of entertainment to the anglers involved seeing who can get fish in the box the fastest. First to gain the most number of pounds in a limited given time wins. Although there are certain rules that they should follow such as not catching any halibut below 30 inches or 76 cm. One of the problems faced by fisherman is the weather. When the weather is bad, it becomes dangerous to go to sea.

izik, CC-BY, Via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/izik/220648048/

In Oregon, the fishing trip would generally take about 12 hours and a limit of one halibut per person with no length limit is given. However, this type of fishing is not recommended for children below 12 years old, because this giant flatfish has great strength and it is very difficult to bring in a huge 70 to 100 pound fish.

This kind of fishing is said to be so much fun due to the challenge of catching the big and heavy fish and being able to put it on deck. It is hard to find another fish that fights like a halibut. This fish tends to push and pull back and forth making the catch feel like you are dragging more than what you are getting.
According to The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, they will be deciding the fishing seasons in Salem on the 26th of April. The proposed dates are from the Department of Fish and Wildlife staff and the Pacific Halibut Commission.

Below are the dates for the seasons for Halibut fishing:
May 9-11, May 16-18, May 30, June 1, June 6-8 (All-depth seasons along the central Oregon coast as recommended by the staff.)
June 20-22, July 4-6, July 18-20 (Back up weekends)
August 2 and 3 then every other Friday and Saturday (Summer all-depth)
May 3 and every other Friday to Sunday (when the area of the mouth of the Columbia River opens)
August 2 (Summer season)
If there would be in season changes to open dates, they will be announced on the NMFS Hotline (1-800-662-9825; #5; #1) and posted at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/
Give Garibaldi Charters or JB and Water Sportfishing a call, if you are looking to go out for these bottom dwelling fish out at Halibut hill around 20 miles past the Tillamook Bay bar near the Garibaldi marina.
Find Oregon fishing guides here.

Here is what it is like to go fishing on a charter for Pacific Butts off the Oregon Coast.

Public Crabbing Locations on the Oregon Coast

You don’t need to have a boat in order to catch dungeness crab on the Oregon coast, you will need crab traps or rings and some bait, but that is all that is required to get a few for dinner. There are several piers, docks, and bridges that provide excellent places to try your luck at crabbing. The best times of year to give it a go are generally from the middle of summer until the heaviest of winter rains are upon us in mid to late December. The areas that are most accessible for people bound to shore also tend to be in the bays which get inundated with fresh water which the crab naturally move away from as the rains get more intense. Going 2 hours before the high tide and staying until 1-2 hours after generally is the best time of day to give it a go, but some places you can leave your traps in overnight and be surprised with a loaded pot first thing in the morning. If you do not own your own crab rings there are a few places that will rent them for a nominal fee as well so even if you are just heading to the beach for the weekend you can still get out and relax at the pier and go crabbing.

Crabbing Essentials

1. Crab Pots – Most people will use crab rings which are best pulled every 15 – 20 minutes, however you can also use the square or circle pots that can be soaked for 45 minutes to overnight in between checks.

2. Crab Bait – Almost anything will work, the most common types of bait though are fish carcasses which can be purchased from some of the marinas and chicken is a popular alternative.

3. Measuring Stick – You can only keep male crabs that are at least 5 3/4 inch in size, the measure will have a picture of how to tell the difference between male and females and where to place the measure device to make sure you only keep legal sized ones.

4. A Bucket – You need to have something to keep your catch in so they do not walk away on you.

The following are a few of the most popular shore crabbing locations. There are others, but this should get you started.

If you have never participated in harvesting enough crab for a delicious sustainable Oregon Coast dinner than make sure and give this fun activity a try the next time you are vacationing at the beach. It is always rewarding to catch your dinner. If you are unfamiliar with cooking your catch ask around at the marinas as they often a crab cooker with boiling water and for a nominal charge they will cook your fresh crab for you. Otherwise a pot of boiling water and some sea salt does the trick, bring it to a boil and drop in the crab for 10 – 15 minutes. Cooking them whole is very acceptable way to process the crab. Like any delicacy there is a 101 ways to do it and if you enjoy the time crabbing and get out and do it more you can vary the way you cook and eat the crab, but a simple boil in salt water and melted butter for dipping is always a winner.

The low tides during the winter months are excellent times to get out and enjoy the Oregon Coast. During these hours when the water is receded far out into the ocean can be prime time for some of the most popular beach activities including: exploring tide pools, searching rocky beaches for agates, shells, and other random gifts from the ocean, and digging in the bays and along certain beaches for clams. The following days are the days that there is a negative tide making these excursions more likely to be fruitful. I have only included times that are from dawn to dusk as it can be dangerous during no light situations along the coast especially during the winter. If you are out along the beaches remember to always keep an eye on the ocean, during winter the seas can be stormy and fun to watch, but at any moment a large wave can break on the beach so be vigilant when close to shore digging clams and looking for unique agates in the sand and stones.

The Oregon Coast is lucky to have a strong collection of community libraries to serve the people’s interest in reading and learning. There is great spots to go and check out a book or use a computer for an hour up and down the coast. These are five of the larger cities that have great options for local readers to enjoy. Some of the libraries also have smaller branches in the nearby towns and participate in book exchanges, so check with your closest librarian for help finding a particular book cause if they do not have it in, another library nearby may let you check it out and even have it delivered to your local branch.

The Astoria Public Library
This local public library services the community Tuesday through Saturday and is closed on Sunday and Monday. The library houses more than 47,000 books plus other audio visuals like books on tape, DVD’s and Videos among its content collections.

The County of Tillamook Library
While the large facility is located in the heart of Tillamook the county is lucky to have a network of branches in the towns nearby that all share access to the large collection of books the county has amassed. If you are interested in local history and information the Main Branch in Tillamook has excellent local resources. Other branches include: Bay City, Garibaldi, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, and South Tillamook County which is in pacific City.

The Driftwood Public Library in Lincon City
While still being a relatively small library it this branch is proud to host regular events with local and national authors stopping by for readings of their works. Open every single day of the week aside from major holidays this is a great asset to the Lincoln City community. Located rright along the Oregon Coast Highway it is easy to access the facility. This library prides itself on it Children and Youth services with several regular programs and activities to get kids excited about reading including: Toddlers Story Time, Preschool Story Time, Puppet Shows every 2nd Tuesday of the month, Spanish Story Time, and a Summer Reading Club and more. There is also a great outreach service to bring books to members of the community that are not able to reach the library themselves.

Newport Public Library
The Newport Oregon Public Library has a regular kid and teen event program schedule. There is also meeting rooms that can be reserved and used by members of the community. The library is open every day of the week. Located in the heart of the town just North of Yaquina Bay. Check out the monthly schedule for regular activities and special events that occur predominently on Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays.

Coos Bay Public Library
The Coos Bay Public Library has a great website with lots of information easily available about the facility, events that occur and regular programs available through the public library. The library is closed on Sunday, but open the rest of the week. If you like to engage with other readers and discuss popular books than the Coos Bay Readers Monthly Book Group is perfect for you, each month a specific book is on the agenda for discussion and the first Wednesday of every month from 6 – 7:30 people are invited to come and discuss. There are also computer classes available to help teach everyone about the basics. The Coos Bay Public Library strives to not only provide a place to check out books, but to help enrich the learning process for all members of the local community.